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Acute care to radiology - Kitty

Posted: Jan 27, 2014

I have worked in acute care for 11 years and will soon start a new job in the radiology department of a local hospital. I know it will be a completely different world. Does anyone who has done this have any advice for making this transition? Thanks!

Radiology - Anon

[ In Reply To ..]
Don't worry. You will have NO problem going from acute care to radiology. I did radiology for 12 years. It's the easiest MT specialty I ever transcribed. I had been an MT for 30+ years doing pathology, a little acute care, and lots of specialty clinics. Back when I started MT in the 1980s, the newbies would get the radiology and psychiatry accounts because they were the easiest.

I Did That - It was a Breeze

[ In Reply To ..]
One can easily go from acute care to radiology, but not vice-versa. If you've done a lot of surgeries, that is a plus, because if you're transcribing MRIs, CT scans and other images, you have all your ligaments, muscles, bones, abdominal anatomy, etc.

The only thing that I was worried about before I made the transition was radiology equipment, beams, things like that. However, where I worked, they had templates with all the equipment, types of beams, etc., already in the report, and I just had to type the body of the report.

I'm assuming someone will be training you on their protocol and such, how to pull up templates if they use them---that sort of thing.

If found it sooooo much easier than acute care. The only reference books I really needed were my Radiology Words and my medical dictionary. You will not be typing patient medications and dosing, so that's a big headache gone.

If you don't have instant Internet access at your new job computer, if I was you, I would bring my own books and put your name on them in permanent ink, maybe even take them home with you at the end of the day. I worked at a very tiny imaging center, so I felt comfortable leaving my books right there, but I'm not so sure about a hospital. If they have books there, all the better, but if they're community property, others might be using them when you need them.

Good luck! Do not panic. If you had even half of the type of acute care that I did, you'll still be fine, in my opinion.

Other plus is, there will be fewer dictators to get used to---there aren't hundreds of radiologists all dictating in a given day!

Related to books - if

[ In Reply To ..]
you take your own reference materials into an office, don't just mark your name on the flyleaf. Pick a page inside the volume that has important info that can't be torn out and mark that. I had a stamp made with my full name and address and used that to mark all my personal reference materials and I chose the page number that corresponded with my DOB for the inside marker. This way you can identify your personal property more easily.

Radiology is a slam dunk - you will be fine...nm

[ In Reply To ..]
x

The only bummer about radiology is that it's - almost 100% VR now. Not much work.

[ In Reply To ..]
:(

Thanks, everyone!! - Kitty

[ In Reply To ..]
You have all made me feel so much better! Change can be scary, but hopefully this will be a very good change. :)

I have done radiology for about 10 years or so. - MSMT

[ In Reply To ..]
It is the best in my opinion. Once you get used to the terminology, it becomes repetitious and you know what they are saying before they say it. I hope the hospital keeps radiology in house for you for many years. Some of the hospitals I have worked for went VR because it is supposedly more cost effective. Good luck.

Thank you! - Kitty

[ In Reply To ..]
I hope they keep it in-house for a really long time too! Right now, they do have some of the dictation on VR, so I'll be editing that plus straight typing too. Even if this eventually goes away, I'll hopefully be able to move to another position in the hospital. I'm just really excited for the opportunity to get my foot in the door and get off bloody production.

Piece-o-cake! - BTDT

[ In Reply To ..]
biggest hazard is bordom. Vocabulary is limited. Your acute care will help you figuring things out you can't hear. You can make tons of short cuts once you learn which phrases doctors repeat, and repeat, and repeat....

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